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Processing of applications for temporary work permit has been put on hold for people from Syria who have not had an asylum interview
If you are from Syria, you are entitled to apply for a temporary work permit, but many applicants will probably not have their applications processed now. Processing of applications for temporary work permits from applicants who have not had an asylum interview has been put on hold until further notice. If you have had an asylum interview, your application for a temporary work permit will be processed.
UDI is closely monitoring the political and security situation in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. The situation remains unclear. UDI has therefore decided to put applications for protection (asylum) from Syria on hold until further notice. The decision takes effect from 9 December. This means that UDI will not process – neither reject nor grant – applications for protection from Syrian citizens or stateless people from Syria who have applied for protection in Norway. Applicants from Syria who have not been called for an interview will also not be called as long as the asylum case processing is on hold. Scheduled interviews will be conducted.
This also applies to the processing of applications from unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. UDI is working to clarify whether we can resume processing these cases, and will return with information as soon as we know more about this.
All applicants from Syria who have applied for protection will receive a response to their application. We will return with more information when we start processing applications again.
We are still processing applications for renewal.
Only applications for protection and applications for a temporary work permit are being put on hold until further notice – not other types of residence permits, such as applications for family immigration, applications for permanent residency, applications for citizenship and so on. The situation in Syria is unclear, and UDI needs to make good, quality-assured assessments for all case types. Here we will return with clarifications as they are made.
This also means that there will be longer waiting times in asylum reception centres for asylum seekers from Syria. At this time, we cannot say how long it will take. People with a background from Syria who have applied for protection in Norway are still entitled to a place in an asylum reception centre. As long as the asylum applications are on hold, benefits and other rights and obligations for this group will remain unchanged.
UDI is monitoring the situation closely and will return with more information when we have it.
Applications for citizenship in Norway
The processing of citizenship applications and the waiting time is not affected by the suspension of protection applications from Syrian citizens and stateless persons from Syria.
